Mass customization: A method for market segmentation and choice menu design

This paper proposes a method for designing choice menus for mass customization (MC). The method is based on the analysis of stated preferences (SP) on product or service attributes obtained through panel studies. The method is first presented, and then illustrated with a real world case application in a natural gas (NG) distribution company. The case application indicated the method was able to elicit stated preferences on a broad range of attributes enabling the design of choice menus of different sizes and content for alternative customer segments, thus balancing the trade-off between flexibility and complexity that is at the core of choice menu design.